The point at which one stops seeking greater range of motion and starts to work in a less dynamic, more effective way
The Tapas Point is a concept that is fundamental to American Yoga School methodology. Working at the Tapas Point does three very important things:
1. It requires the active mental participation of the practitioner in a way that takes the asana from being a purely musculoskeletal endeavor to a mental practice that yields deeply beneficial mental results.
2. It addresses whatever limitation is preventing deeper movement, if that limitation is one that needs addressing. Often, a physical limitation that looks like it is about flexibility is actually about strength. Working at the Tapas Point addresses the issue, whether it is about flexibility or strength, without you needing to know which one it is.
3. It customizes the practice to the individual. The yoga of Patanjali is about the individual, not the group. The Tapas Point is provided so that everybody gets their best practice.
People practice yoga for many reasons. But, almost all of those reasons are about wanting to change something physically or otherwise. The Tapas Point is the body shape, for each pose, at which that change will best happen.
For many of the Fundamental Asanas, there is a range of motion into which the practitioner will come into the pose. For example, in a backbend, one person’s spine will move into extension more or less than another person’s spine.
Taking things as far as you can as a universal rule heightens risk of injury and limits opportunity to strengthen and open the body in the most effective and balanced way. Often, seeking to move more at one joint causes another area to misalign in a way that heightens risk and limits effectiveness.